Medicaid

The Muddle Over Medicaid

Laura Knoy — Thu, 30 May 2013 13:00:00 +0000

The Affordable Care Act encourages states to expand Medicaid coverage and provides funding to do so.

Examining the Expansion of Medicaid

Laura Knoy — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Although the Supreme Court upheld most of the Affordable Care Act, it said states could choose whether to expand Medicaid. Supporters say doing so helps low income Americans gain coverage and boosts the economy. Critics warn it’s government overreach and is simply unaffordable. We’ll get New Hampshire’s take on this debate.

Guests

Public Has Its Say On Medicaid Expansion Bill

Todd Bookman — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 22:48:13 +0000

New Hampshire’s Medicaid program currently insures poor children, the disabled and low income pregnant women.

But after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act, the state must decide if it wants to expand the program to adults that earn less than $15,000 a year: roughly 58,000 people in New Hampshire.

According to Representative Bill O’Brien, the state just can’t afford to cover those extra people.

To Expand (Medicaid) Or Not To Expand

Todd Bookman and Brady Carlson — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 22:29:10 +0000

Lawmakers will decide this spring whether to expand the state’s Medicaid program to include childless adults making less than roughly $15,000. To make sure they have all the information they need, the Department of Health and Human Services commissioned a study to look at the effects.

We poured over the 61-page report, and boiled it down to these 5 takeaways.

Health Policy Gets Reboot After Election

Todd Bookman — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 10:00:00 +0000

President Obama’s re-election didn’t exactly smooth over implementation of his signature health care law. State governments across the nation maintain a solid level of anxiety over the bill.

Concord is no different…lawmakers like Republican Jeb Bradley expect to spend a lot of time grappling with the Affordable Care Act’s key provisions.

“The biggest single issue that this legislature in the upcoming two years will face is the expansion of Medicaid.”

Medicaid Expansion Under The Microscope

Todd Bookman — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 23:04:38 +0000

The Department of Health and Human Services released a report Thursday looking at Medicaid expansion in New Hampshire.

Medicaid Expansion Divides Candidates in Governor's Race

Todd Bookman — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 09:00:00 +0000

When the Supreme Court ruled on the Affordable Care Act, it said states must be given a choice about expanding their Medicaid programs.

Option A: Keep things as they are.

Option B: Enroll more people, and the Federal government will help you pay for their care.

Democrat Jackie Cilley likes that second option. She says that if New Hampshire doesn’t grow its Medicaid rolls, poor people will continue to slip through the cracks, and that Republican lawmakers in Concord would bear the blame.

Who gets Medicaid and who doesn't?

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 19:53:49 +0000

Reporters love to write in a kind of shorthand. And when it comes to Medicaid, the preferred shortcut is, 'the health care program for the poor.'

FAQ: New Hampshire Looks At Expanding Medicaid

Brian Wallstin — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:02:50 +0000

Q. What does the state have to decide in terms of Medicaid expansion?

A. The Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act gives states the choice to either maintain their current Medicaid program or extend it to more low-income residents. In states that choose to expand, adults who bring home less than $15,000 a year and a family of four who earns less than $30,000 a year will qualify. In New Hampshire, expansion would add about 56,000 people to the state's rolls, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

N.H. Begins To Wrestle With Medicaid Expansion

Brian Wallstin — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 20:22:31 +0000

A group of New Hampshire lawmakers will meet Wednesday to begin discussing how the state should move forward under the nation’s health care law. One of the big questions for the Joint Health Care Reform Oversight Committee is whether New Hampshire should expand its Medicaid program.

The recent Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act gives states the option to extend Medicaid to more low-income residents. Under the new law, beginning in 2014, an adult who brings home less than $15,000 a year and a family of four with income under about $30,000 will qualify.

Supreme Court Gives Decision on ACA Medicaid Expansion to NH

Sam Evans-Brown — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 21:31:11 +0000

This is a closer look at the Supreme Court’s Ruling as it relates to Medicaid in the Granite State. Under the upheld law, an additional 17 million people nationwide are set to become eligible for Medicaid in 2014. That’s a 27 percent increase. The new threshold is $29,000 dollars a year for a family of four.

CMS Letter Validates Hospital Concerns

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 04:01:51 +0000

Federal regulators have given the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Service 30 days to provide information about the state’s Medicaid program.

Executive Council Has More Questions on Medicaid Managed Care

Sam Evans-Brown — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:16:06 +0000

State and Managed Care company officials met today with the executive council to discuss the contract that would change the state’s Medicaid Program. The councilors have serious concerns, and many questions.

The $2.2 billion dollar proposed contract is the biggest in the history of the state. Supporters say Managed Medicaid would streamline services for the some 130,000 people in the program. Health-care providers worry the new contract may hurt their patients and their business.

Senate Begins Battle Over Abortion Funding

Rachel Gotbaum — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 23:20:40 +0000

Thursday, members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee considered a bill that would ban public funding of facilities that provide abortion. Opponents of the bill, which has already been approved by the House, say it could jeopardize $700 million in federal Medicaid funds. The bill's sponsor, Republican of Rochester Warren Groen, says preventing the state from funding abortion is a smarter way to use scare with public dollars.

Texas, Feds Face Off Over Planned Parenthood

John Burnett — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 04:01:00 +0000

Texas and the federal government are going at each other again, this time over Planned Parenthood.

The Texas Legislature cut off all Medicaid money to Planned Parenthood because of its involvement in abortions; in response, the federal government has suspended funding for the state's reproductive health program.

Now, Texas is suing the Obama administration.

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